Hand-twirled fly-tying vise



Nov. 21, 1950 D, s MARTINEZ 2,530,713

HAND-TWIRLED FLY-TYING VISE Filed Dec. 3, 1947 Inventor Dona/d $..Marrinez (ma pawn 3 M5 Patented Nov. 21, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAND-TWIRLED FLY-TYING. VISE Donald S. Martinez, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application December 3, 1947-, Serial-No. 789,431

4 Claims. (CI. 81-18) The present invention relates to. vises such as are used by fly tyers when making trout and equivalent. flies and has reference in particular to a handturned and manipulated rotary type vise which is adapted to take the place of socalled bench and table types.

It is a matter of common knowledge to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains that the old method of fly tying. and making involves the use of a stationary hook, the various materials, which. go to make. up the fly, being wound, by hand, around the thus fixed hook. With the table vise the tension. is released momentarily each time the material is passed from one hand to the other as it is wound around the shank of the hook. Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide an implement in the form of a hand-turned rotary vise which lifts the materials to be spun and. wrapped onto the same while the hook is revolving, whereby to provide a strongerfly due to the. fact that while the material is being wrapped on the hook, they are under a continuous tension.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and economical hand rotated vise which is susceptible of easy and quick handling and which is highly advantageous in that the user of the vise may assume any convenient position he wishes. He is not compelled to sit in a cramped position at a table as is ordinarily done, but may lean back in a comfortable chair or may even tie flies while in a reclining position. The latter is an important aspect of the invention in that it enables invali'ds confined to beds to be able to make a livelihood from fly tying and do it with ease through the instrumentality of a modern improved vise construction.

Inasmuch as no table is required to satisfactorily use the device, it is believed to be novel since it enables a fisherman to handmake his own flies on the shore of the stream or lake and it is also novel in that it may be folded into compact package form and carried in the users creel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hand-manipulated rotatable vise whose exterior is wholly smooth and streamlined, there being no external projections to catch trailing materials as the vise is rotated. In addition, the designing of the vise permits the operator to keep his fingers and the fingers of the left hand, right up to the hook itself. The vise operating on the principle of drawing a tapered cone down into a tube in order to hold the jaws closed noticeably handicaps the operator because the hook is held at a considerable distance from the nearest point. where the vise may be satisfactorily re.- volved in the left hand. My vise is lighter in Weight and smaller in diameter permitting it to be rolled between the fingers much more easily than larger and unwieldy types, types which have been converted from table vises and then used as portable so-called' hand-vises.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hand-vise which is characterized by a simple chuck to securely hold the hook during the wrapping steps, the jaws of the chuck constituting portions of a reciprocatory member which member in turn, is operated by an end thrust pin, said pin co-acting with part of a novel hinged joint whereby, with one hand, the user may straighten the. joint and tighten the chuck, or break the joint and loosen the chuck.

Numerous other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent in the following description in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevational view showing the hand-style rotary vise for fly tying constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and showing the parts in operative relationship and ready for use.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmenary view in section and elevation bringing out the details of construction,

Figure 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the hinge joint broken for purposes of releasing the jaws and consequently the grip on the fish hook, whereby the latter may be readily extraoted,

Figures 4 and 5 are cross sections on the lines 44 and 5-5 respectively, of Figs. 2 and 3.

The hand-vise is essentially made up of three sections, a vise and twirling section 1, a central hand-gripping section 8, and a prop or supporting section 9'. The first named section 1 as shown to advantage in Figs. 2 and 3, comprises a knurled portion In having a socket H, the outer portion of the socket being screw threaded as at 12, and the portion inwardly beyond the socket having a restricted guide bore I3 for a projectable and retractable thrust pin I4. One end of the pin projects between iurcations l5 provided on the inner end of said section I and the opposite end of the pin projects into the socket H where it comes into end thrust contact with the body portion 1'6 of a jaw unit, the jaws, which are tapered, being denoted by the numerals I! and the flexibl v lIm$ 0. wank portions being denoted by the numerals l8 and being joined up with said body.

The jaws normally protrude through and beyond the restricted conical portion [9 of the chuck forming collar 20, the latter having a milled portion 2!, said jaws being resilient and retractable and projectable and co-acting with the conical or tapered end of the collar to cooperate with the latter in providing a chuck for gripping and holding the fish hook 22. The principal handgripping portion 8 has a socket 23 which receives the removable but frictionally held end portion 24 of a supporting rod or prop 25. This section 8 also has a lug 26 which fits between the lugs provided by the furcations l and by passing a pivot pin 21 between the several lugs, a suitable hinge joint is provided between parts or sections 1 and 8. When the sections are in axial alignment as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the thrust pin l4 projects the jaws l1 through and beyond the conical end of the collar and the jaws are thus contracted. By breaking the hinge joint as shown in Figure 3, and swinging the part 7 in angular relation to the part 8, the curved clearance surface 29 on the lug allows the thrust pin [4 to retract and releases the jaw unit and consequently th jaws ii. The hook may then drop out from between the jaws.

The complemental section 9 comprises a rod of appropriate material which may be wood, metal or the like and said rod being elongated and cylindrical and denoted by the numeral 39 having its end portion 24 telescoping frictionally but removably into the socket 23. The opposite end portion carries a rubber knob 3l' similar to the customary eraser on a writing pencil. The parts 8 and 9 are telescopically connected so that they may be conveniently separated and so that a convenient package will be had for handling in ones creel or otherwise.

At this point, I desire to point out structural and functional advantages favoring my invention as compared to other types, the stated old bench and table types.

My vise is instantly adjustable to accommodate all sizes of hooks commonly used for fly making. With other types of cam operated vises, it is necessary to loosen a lock nut, fit the adjustment to the hook by a series of trials, then tighten the lock nut. With my device the user merely turns the threaded collar until it brings the jaws into loose contact with the hook, the vise being in the open or broken position. Then, when the jaws are closed by a downward pressure of the operators right hand at the point where the vise is hinged, the jaws are clamped to give the exact degree of pressure required for secure holding. This adjustment step is only required when changing type or size of hooks.

My invention is ideal in size and weight for hand operation, being about the same diameter as an ordinary lead pencil. This is the perfect size for a cylindrical object designed to be held in ones fingers. Larger diameters are relatively clumsy. To equal my vise in sturdiness and efficiency of holding, a vise operated by an external lever pulling a cone down into a ring would have to be considerably larger and heavier.

In my design, there is no clumsy lump of metal at the head of the vise to get in the way of the operators hands or vision.

My Visa is readily separated into two sections for easy carrying in the owners pocket or tackle kit. If feasible, the vise might be hinged in the middle for easy packing with no risk of. lQS Ilg either section.

Unlike vises that are actuated by an external lever, my invention is free of any projecting parts. That is highly important because any surface projection on the turnable portion of a hand r0- tated vise tends to catch trailing materials, such as threads, tinsel or silk fioss. As the vise is twirled, the material becomes wrapped around the vise resulting in a time-wasting tangled mess.

In use, the vise is held in the users hand somewhat horizontally, the lower or supporting end resting on the arm of a chair or similar resting place and is turned or rolled between the fingers of the left hand, always towards the operator.

The windable wrapping silk is grasped in the right hand at all times, running down through the closed fist in such a way that it is always clenched by at least one finger, preferably the little finger. There is nothing tricky to this step, just take hold of the winding silk as though it were a rope or a rod handle and catch it in the crook of your little finger letting the silk slip thru as you pay it out.

The tie-oh", which is the operation essential to compl ting the attachment of each piece of material, is accomplished by crossing the material with the tying silk and axially turning the vise at the same time. After two or three windings of well-waxed silk, the material will be found to be securely tied in by the tying silk and the surplus is cut off with scissors or razor blade. There is absolutely no necessity for a half hitch at this time or at any other time during the construction of a fly by my unique method.

The middle finger of the left hand is used as a brake by resting it against the material on the hook at any place or any time desired. In this manner, the operator can pause to examine his handiwork at any stage of the operation. No hackle pliers are used, so there are no tools or bobbins in the users way.

These essential operations can best be learned first and separately from actual fly making by practice with a length of waxed silk on a bare hook of ample size, say a #8. After they are accomplished with a fair degree of ease and precision the making of the first fiy will not prove difficult. It is helpful to practice these steps dry by doing them mentally while twirling a pencil or fountain pen in the left hand in simulation of an actual vise.

Throughout the entire fly tying process the vise is rotated towards you, that is the upper surface of the vise revolves towards the operator as mentioned previously. This is essential. The winding silk and the materials are spun onto the hook by this rotation except in the case of the wings and the tail.

Since the winding silk is continuously under tension no half hitches are necessary but what is important is that you use a fairly sticky wax on the tying silk. Any good commercial wax will do nicely. An ideal wax can be compounded easily by melting together the following ingredients in the proportions indicated. Resin Paraffin Turpentine More parafiin will make the wax less tacky, more turpentine will make it softer and vice versa.

Changes in shape, size, materials and rearrangement of details and parts may be resorted to in actual practice, so long-as they do not depart from the scope of the appended claims, as is well understood.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A rotar hand-vise for fly tying, comprising a hand-grip, a complemental section hingedly mounted on the outer end of said hand-grip, said section being provided with a chuck including an adjusting collar and jaws, the jaws being connected with a body portion and said body portion being slidable in said section, a thrust pin slidably carried by said section and having one end engaging said body portion, and cam means embodied in the hinge connection to engage the other end of the thrust pin, whereby the thrust pin exerts pressure on the jaw-carrying body portion when the handle and section are in axial alignment but releases end thrust pressure on said body portion when the section is angled in relation to the handle portion.

2. In a rotary hand-vise of the class shown and described, a hand-grip which is provided in one end with a socket and provided on the opposite end with an outstanding cam lug, a complemental chuck section having lugs hingedly attached to said first-named lug, and having a central bore and a socket, one end of said bore communicating with said last-named socket, the other end of said bore bein located adjacent said cam lug, a thrust pin operable in said bore by said cam lug and projecting at one end into said last-named socket, a body slidable in said last-named socket, jaws mounted on said body, and a chuck forming collar mounted on the outer end of said section and cooperable with said jaws.

3. In a rotary hand-vise of the class described, a hand-grip which is provided in one end with a socket and provided on the opposite end with an outstanding cam lug, a complemental chuck section having lugs hingedly attached to said first named lug, and having a central bore and a socket, one end of said bore communicating with said last-named socket, the other end of said bore being located adjacent said cam lug, a thrust pin operable in said bore by said cam lug and projecting at one end into said last-named socket, a body slidable in said last-named socket, jaws mounted on said body, and a chuck forming collar mounted on the outer end of said section and cooperable with said jaws, said first-named socket accommodating a supporting and prop forming stick, and said stick having one end fitting telescopically and loosely into said firstnamed socket and being provided on its opposite end With a rubber head for anti-slipping contact with a chair arm or the like.

4. A rotary hand-vise for fly tying, comprising an outer section provided on its outer end with a chuck including hook gripping and releasing jaws, a hand-grip section hingedly connected at one end to first named section and having an axial socket at the other end, a stick axially and removably telescopin at one end into said socket, and an anti-slipping rubber head mounted on the other end of said stick so as to function as a prop, said head being designed to rest on the arm of a chair or the like when the vise is being used.

DONALD S. MARTINEZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 542,402 Anzelewitz July 9, 1895 1,531,567 Niblock Mar. 31, 1925 1,733,773 Benedict Oct. 29, 1929 2,159,193 Williams May 23, 1939 

